RunningAHEAD - Topic: Day to day variance

girmann

Giant Flaming Dork

posted: 2/15/2009 at 8:31 AM

I ran these two runs a day apart. Same course, same speed, different "direction" and yet yesterday (with a day's rest) I felt like crap and today, I felt great. This is shown in the HR numbers as well - almost 10BPM difference. I would have thought, if anything, that today's run would have been "worse" (due to fatigue, sickness, etc). What gives? Any ideas/suggestions? Thanks! Yesterday: http://www.runningahead.com/logs/756d6deac7c14851912e1b347d1a76ea/workouts/a65979642f6048a9961355736f4618f7 Today: http://www.runningahead.com/logs/756d6deac7c14851912e1b347d1a76ea/workouts/52f39142a511424f84fda111623aab17

http://xkcd.com/621/

L_Master

posted: 2/15/2009 at 10:39 AM

It could be a myriad of factors I would imagine. Maybe the course is a little more uphill towards the start and you pushed to hard through it. Could easily be just general day-day variance as well, some days for whatever reason (lack of sleep, bad diet, stress, or no apparent reason) you just don't have it. I know somedays I go out and 8 min pace feels nice and relaxed and easy, and other days an 8:15 pace might be an uncomfortable battle to maintain. I'd say you probably don't need to worry about it unless it becomes chronic/regular, but I'm nowhere near being an expert.

They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. "If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a Board and knock me down, because that means I didn't run hard enough" If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they'd starve to death. "Don't fear moving slowly forward...fear standing still."

mamaofthree

Best Present Ever

posted: 2/15/2009 at 11:24 AM

I think these things are a mystery. I usually run my long run on Sat (17-20 miles lately) then a 6-8 mile run on Sunday. Sometimes, the Sunday run is a real slog, other days (like today) I feel like I could run forever. Sometimes my runs on Monday-Wednesday are just miserable, the later in the week they pick up. Other times, not. Sometimes, I can say that I ran a particulary hilly route, had less sleep, or ran faster than usual to explain why the subsequent runs feel harder. Other times, either I ran fairly easy and the runs were hard, or I ran particularly hard, and the later runs felt easy. I mostly just shrug and run the miles my plan says I should run and figure that bodies are complicated things.

Dunottar

posted: 2/15/2009 at 11:57 AM

FWIW - USUALLY, my 'toughest' runs are on days after I've taken a day off. Once I get cranking into consecutive days, the runs seem to get 'easier'. (I noticed you took Fri. off and your 'tough[er]' run was on Sat., but the above may or may not apply to you). And perhaps related,....I've been running for 5 years with long runs almost invariably on Sundays. Due to my schedule, I've followed that up with a Monday run (rather than taking Monday off). Those Monday runs have nearly always been the strongest, 'fastest', most effortless runs of the week. I'm sure there's a physiological reason for these things, but I've never been been able to figure them out.

L_Master

posted: 2/15/2009 at 1:57 PM

Those Monday runs have nearly always been the strongest, 'fastest', most effortless runs of the week.

Wow, that’s interesting, totally opposite from my experiences. A Monday recovery after a good Sunday long is almost invariably a slog. However, my experience is much like yours in that stringing consecutive runs together definitely seems to get me into some sort of "rhythm" and generally feel better, the long run (and sometimes a hard interval day) is the exception to this.

They say golf is like life, but don't believe them. Golf is more complicated than that. "If I am still standing at the end of the race, hit me with a Board and knock me down, because that means I didn't run hard enough" If a lot of people gripped a knife and fork the way they do a golf club, they'd starve to death. "Don't fear moving slowly forward...fear standing still."

jim9090

posted: 2/15/2009 at 7:28 PM

I agree with the other replies that there are all sorts of possible reasons. I'd say log it carefully: what you did the day before & that day, including sleep, food, activities, rest, etc. Do the same when you have other particularly difficult or good runs. Eventually you might find common threads, like Dunottar & L_Master have.

Next goal: Great Wall Marathon

girmann

Giant Flaming Dork

posted: 2/15/2009 at 7:33 PM
modified: 2/15/2009 at 7:33 PM

Quote from jim9090 on 2/15/2009 at 7:28 PM:

I agree with the other replies that there are all sorts of possible reasons. I'd say log it carefully: what you did the day before & that day, including sleep, food, activities, rest, etc. Do the same when you have other particularly difficult or good runs. Eventually you might find common threads, like Dunottar & L_Master have.

I'll try it. Lately I have been putting more info in my log, but it's just about the run - nothing else. I guess I'll start tracking it... Thanks for all your suggestions!!! It's very helpful to get different opinions.

http://xkcd.com/621/

Day to day variance (Read 514 times)